This invention relates to safety cap assemblies for needles, and in particular, safety cap assemblies for needles used in health-care related procedures.
Needles are, of course, employed in a wide variety of dental and medical procedures, including giving vaccines to patients, the injection of antibiotics, anesthetics, medicines, etc., the drawing of blood samples, intravenous feedings, and so on. Virtually all of these procedures subject medical personnel to the dangers of accidental sticking of the needle into a portion of their own bodies. The danger to the medical professional is primarily due to the possibility of accidentally injecting him or herself with an infectious pathogen derived from the patient after an injection has been delivered to the patient. At the present time, one need only mentioned the dread acronym "AIDS", (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) to understand the very real fears of the health professional.
Numerous devices have been suggested and employed to alleviate this problem. However, these devices and techniques require the knowledgeable, conscious cooperation of the physician, dentist, or nurse. Any distraction at the moment a used needle should be safety capped can result in a needle remaining uncapped, and hence a danger to anyone who might come in contact with it. This invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a safety cap for needles that automatically safety caps the needle at the precise moment the needle is withdrawn from the patent.
The primary object of this invention is to provide a safety cap assembly for needles which automatically safety caps the needle at the moment the needle is withdrawn from the patient, thereby significantly reducing the possibility of accidental injection.
A further object of the invention is to provide for automatic safety capping of used needles without the requirement of any operator attention.
An additional object of the invention is to provide for automatic safety capping of used needles without the requirement of any operator manipulation to accomplish this safety capping.
Still another object is to provide an automatic safety cap assembly for needles which is light in weight and inexpensive to manufacture.
An additional object of the invention, is to provide an automatic safety cap assembly that cannot inadvertently expose a used needle.
Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic safety cap assembly for virtually any length and gauge of needle.